flour

Lemon Cheesecake + Wojapi

February 26, 2013 | 30 Comments

If you are a student of anything to any great degree, you are probably able to easily discern areas of conflict within that field.

A., the husband, tells of vociferous debate about certain types of golf clubs, for example.

B., the 9 lb. wiener dog, relays the details of raging discussion about the healthful virtues of 2 Beggin’ Strips vs. 4 Beggin’ Strips before bedtime.

I have no link for that last one. I believe B. may be attempting to put one over on me.

A quick Google search of ‘flour in cheesecake’ will alert you to the varied opinions on how to properly bake a cheesecake, and more specifically, whether flour has any business being in the mix.

As with to sift or not to sift and optimal creaming time questions, I monitor the flour vs. flour-free cheesecake debate with great interest: I want my sifted goods to be tender, my creamed butter to be light, and my cheesecakes to be as delicious as possible!

But I know that the time will ultimately come when I must make a choice and pick a side – there can be no hanging chads when it comes to cheesecake preparation.

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes Tagged With: blueberry pudding sauce, cheesecake, cream cheese, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest, recipe, sugar, sweet, Wojapi

Pomegranate Crumble Bars

January 17, 2013 | 32 Comments

So this girl walks into the kitchen and finds her dog eating a puffy taco.

Sounds like the start to a joke, right?

I mean, I’m sure you’re expecting the follow-up to involve three rabbis in a rowboat, or someone somewhere crossing the road for some reason other than just to get to the other side…

Right?

Sadly, in this girl’s case, the story of the dog and the puffy taco is nothing other than cold hard reality.

And a visual metaphor for the crazy chaos that has been my first 17 days of 2013.

Do you ever see something in front of your very eyes and it just hits you?

Well that was me, watching sweet lil’ 9 lb. B. dominate the sad leftovers of last night’s vegan puffy taco feast.

I don’t know how he got his hands on that puffy taco. And I don’t know exactly why my reaction was to burst out laughing like a hyena instead of trying to tear it from his grasp and scolding him vigorously.

No. Instead I laughed, I offered to pass him the salsa, I went to my inner Zen place, and I acknowledged that I may need to slow down a little. Calm down a little. Secure the trash more tightly a little.

Filed Under: Bars & Brownies Tagged With: aril, butter, crumble bar, flour, jelly, light brown sugar, pomegranate, recipe, rolled oats, sweet

Green Chile Corn Pudding

January 3, 2013 | 29 Comments

2013, I love you already!

You’re shiny and new with a lovely emerald glow.

You’re 365 whole days long, each of which will apparently involve less crêpes and more chicharrónes.

And I guess we’ll be working those pork pounds off with newfangled fitness apps, and lots and lots of juicing.

All while wearing stripes and leather. As long as it’s not striped leather…

But for now, 2013, you’re awfully chilly, even here in Arizona. And your chilliness is making me just a little cranky, which isn’t working for A. and, you know, everyone else around me.

So I’m preparing a big, fat batch of spicy corn pudding, fresh from the oven and straight to my tummy.

This pudding is rich, creamy, corny and deliciously comforting – crankiness, be gone!

And now I can move on to more important matters, like shopping for some emerald green leather clothing and juicing my face off. Like I said, 2013, I love you already!

Green Chile Corn Pudding

Print This Recipe!

recipe adapted from MarthaStewart.com

Chef’s Note: Although I am listing the original recipe below, I made a couple of significant adjustments. First, the recipe calls for two cups of grated Monterey Jack cheese and I was more than able to get along with just one (mixing approximately half into the batter and sprinkling the other half on top). Second, you absolutely positively don’t need 1/2 stick of butter and 10 minutes to melt it in a preheated oven. I used just two tablespoons and melted it in just a few minutes in my oven before pouring the batter on top. Finally, this pudding will almost certainly overflow when baked in an 8″ x 8″ baking pan – do yourself a favor and be sure to place your pan on a rimmed baking sheet while it is baking.

24 ounces frozen corn kernels (4 cups), thawed and drained, at room temperature, divided
1 tsp. salt, coarsely ground
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can (14 ounces) Hatch green chiles, diced
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated, divided
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 stick unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 350°.

Puree 3 cups corn in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in remaining cup corn, salt, scallions, chiles, flour, and approximately one third cup of cheese.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and cream just until combined. Stir into corn mixture.

Place butter in an 8″ x 8″ baking dish and place in oven until butter is melted, about 10 minutes. Pour batter into hot baking dish, and sprinkle top with remaining cheese. Place a baking sheet on lower rack to catch any drips, and bake until puffed and bubbling and cheese is golden brown, approximately 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before serving.

YIELD: approximately 8 servings

Filed Under: Curds, Custards & Puddings Tagged With: corn, egg, flour, green chile, heavy cream, Monterey Jack cheese, pudding, recipe, savory, scallion

Mexican Chocolate Pecan Pie

November 12, 2012 | 27 Comments

I owe you an apology. And a slice of pie. OK, maybe a couple of slices.

Because although my little southwest kitchen has been bustling, I’ve been remiss in sharing all the juicy details with you over the past few weeks.

But I have an explanation! And it’s a good one! And it involves lots and lots and lots of technology fails, potty-mouthed tirades, and hatred of all things bandwith, byte, bitmap and Boolean. But I won’t bore you with the details.

Instead I’ll just tell you that the techno-troubles are resolved and now it’s time to churn out more goodness than you can shake a server at: there’s going to be cookies, there’s going to be gifties, there’s going to be laughter, and there’s most certainly going to be some good cheer.

But for now, there’s pie. The most delicious, candy bar-esque, toasted pecan-stuffed, Mexican-chocolate and graham-crusted pie that you can possibly imagine.

So dig in, strap up, and stay tuned. Because it’s about to get festive all up in here.

Mexican Chocolate-Crusted Pecan Pie

Chef’s Note: This recipe yields a thick, thick crust and quite a bit of filling – you’re going to want to be sure to use a 9″ deep-dish pie plate and, although I’ve never had any spillage while baking this pie, you may want to place the pie plate on a sheet tray before placing it in the oven, just to be safe.

For the crust:
1 package (9 whole) graham crackers
2 discs Mexican chocolate, melted (approximately 6.3 ounces)
5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
2 c. dark brown sugar, tightly packed
11 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 c. pecans, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spread the pecan pieces evenly over a sheet tray and toast for approximately 8 minutes or until deep brown and fragrant. Remove and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, to prepare the crust, place the graham crackers and melted chocolate into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until smooth and blended. Process in the melted butter – the finished mixture should be the consistency of coarse, damp sand. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ deep-dish pie plate. Set aside.

To prepare the pie filling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, vanilla, salt and then flour. Fold in the pecans. Carefully pour the filling over the crust and smooth across the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes. The finished pie will be crisp, puffed and golden on top. Remove and set aside to cool slightly before serving.

YIELD: approximately 10 servings

Filed Under: Crisps, Crumbles & Pies Tagged With: butter, dark brown sugar, eggs, flour, graham cracker, Mexican chocolate, pecan, recipe, sweet, vanilla

Sunken Streusel Apple Cake

November 5, 2012 | 12 Comments

The other day I was watching a mainstream morning news program that will remain nameless (OK, fine, its name begins with a ‘T’ and ends in an ‘oday’).

The anchors were working with an ‘Idea Specialist’, who was sharing her thoughts on how to pass the time should you find yourself temporarily without power.

Aside from my feelings on someone referring to themselves as an ‘Idea Specialist’ and the fact that the very audience to whom she was speaking was notably, you know, WITHOUT THE POWER TO SEE HER, I found myself transfixed by the suggestions that were being tossed around: Turn each room in your house into a different vacation destination! Speak in code! Do everything backwards and act like you like it!

While I am willing to do everything backwards, I’m just not sure that I love the part about being told that I need to like it…

But I kept listening, because, as with so many things on TV these days, I just can’t look away.

And then I realized: I want to be an Idea Specialist, too! I want to travel the land slinging my sweet intellectual gems! I want to share my ideas with the world via Matt Lauer and Al Roker!

How can I get started?

I guess I’ll need some, uh, ideas…

Filed Under: Cakes & Cupcakes Tagged With: apple, butter, buttermilk, cake, canela, cinnamon, flour, recipe, streusel, sweet

Chocolate Chunk Coffee Cake Bars

July 25, 2012 | 22 Comments

The Olympics are here! The Olympics are here!

Will you be watching? Will you be cheering? Will you be reenacting your favorite medal moments?

Reliving the winning moves from my events of choice is a critical part of my personal Olympic viewing. Most years these performances are safe (excepting only an unfortunate reenactment of a winning luge run in ’88, which involved my teeth luging into the family coffee table) and all years they are thoroughly enjoyed by my audience.

After all these years I still thoroughly enjoy watching both the summer and winter games. The extreme pageantry and commercialism does turn me off, but the sheer athletic accomplishment is hard for me to tear my eyes away from – it’s pretty exciting.

Specifically, I’m a fan of swimming, diving, tennis (table) and, of course, gymnastics. Archery, rowing, and fencing are pretty fun too. Really, it’s hard to pick a favorite so I’ll likely be glued to the TV watching all manner of Olympic feats for the next few weeks. A. will likely restrict my reenactments to events that involve the least potential for personal harm, though. Given my lack of coordination, I’m thinking that judo and taekwondo are out.

Filed Under: Bars & Brownies Tagged With: Abuelita, butter, buttermilk, coffee, eggs, flour, Mexican chocolate, recipe, salt, sweet

Blackberry Crumble Muffins

July 19, 2012 | 27 Comments

It’s a little chilly here today…

So let’s build a fire in the fireplace.

We can cuddle up under a down blanket, I’ll make some Mexican Hot Chocolate and Buttermilk Blackberry Crumble Muffins, and we can braid each other’s hair and watch reality TV as the evening draws nigh.

Oh, OK. You’d like to pass on the fire in the fireplace? Also on the down blanket, the hot chocolate, the hair braiding, and the talking like we’re from Middle Earth?

But you don’t want to pass on the Buttermilk Blackberry Crumble Muffins, right?

Fantastic! I knew we were friends.

Filed Under: Quick Breads Tagged With: blackberry, butter, buttermilk, crumble topping, flour, Maria cookies, muffin, recipe, sugar, sweet

Ranger Breakfast Cookies

July 18, 2012 | 29 Comments

Today will be something of a wordless Wednesday…

as I show you a few simple pictures of some sweet, simple cookies that I made from a retro recipe found in my grandmother’s collection.

Filed Under: Cookies Tagged With: brown sugar, butter, coconut, flour, oatmeal, Ranger Cookies, recipe, Rice Krispies, sweet, vanilla

Frosted Dulce De Leche Fun Cake

June 11, 2012 | 24 Comments

I was never a big fan of summer as a child, which I attribute my fear of the ocean, Frisbees, and potato salad. Luckily my lack of fear of ice cream, pie, and running through the sprinkler helped me to make peace with the fair third season, and now we’re living happily ever after.

It’s a good thing too since I now live just down the street from the surface of the sun.

But summer is about so much more than just the temperature outside, don’t you think?

I can still smell my father’s old charcoal grill heating up. Taste my grandmother’s fresh raspberry jam. Feel myself freaking out over the faint chimes that could only mean the approach of the ice cream truck.

Summer is bonkers.